


Dreamnoblade Story Mode

by In_Much_Stress



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Because yes, Crack Treated Seriously, Eventual Romance, Female Jesse (Minecraft), Humor, Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrids, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I guess????, I'd say daddy Techno but that would be misleading, I'm not tagging all the characters fuck that, Jesse has the wrong right idea, Lore?? In my Minecraft Story Mode Dreamnoblade fic??, M/M, Memes, Minecraft: Story Mode, No Beta We End Like Endermen, Or the right wrong idea, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Rating May Change, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Swearing, Unreliable Narrator, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, because she sounds SO SASSY ALL THE TIME, more likely than you think, mother hen dream, probably, pseudo-adoption, screeching our lungs out, sorry soren, tagging the OTPs is more than enough, who knows at this point - Freeform, ÒwÓ what's this?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28626114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Much_Stress/pseuds/In_Much_Stress
Summary: Whoever is in charge of this plot, please spare me. I’m begging you. - TechnobladeKEEP IN MIND that this was made for us, shippers, and us only and you should not show this to either CC unless given clear and enthusiastic consent. Also, if you're gonna waste your time telling me to stop, I want you to think for a second and go find something to do with your life, because you ain't righteous and you sure ain't protecting anyone, Anti.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Jesse/Lukas (Minecraft)
Comments: 439
Kudos: 997





	1. Hah?

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Title: I write over 1k words of Techno looking at God and asking why

“When I put my hands on Wilbur, I’m going to tear his head off.”

“Yes, yes, you’re angry, I get it. Stop threatening someone who isn’t here and keep walking.”

“We’ve been walking for hours!”

“Not really, the sun barely moved, I doubt it’s been a full hour.”

“I hate this.”

“For the first time, I agree with you.”

The forest just won’t reach an end. Dream and I have been walking for what feels like half a day now—at least, if you ask me—and we’re getting nowhere. And it’s all Wilbur’s fault, who had thrown us head first into a mysterious portal, like we’re part of some sort of crappy anime with a forced plot. I mean, really? Force the two of us to go into a different dimension and have to go through some epic adventure so we can get out, have the key to our success dangled in front of us just to be destroyed a few times until, in the end, we find out that all we needed was the power of friendship?

Please, I can feel the headache already.

And out of all people, _of course_ I’m trapped here with Dream, the most infuriating man in all servers. Part of me feels like I should be thankful it is not Tommy or something, but Tommy is surprisingly easy to deal with once you get it right the first time. Dream, however, is a complete wild card that just does whatever he feels like. You tell him to go left and he’ll do a flip to the right and then dash forwards.

Whoever is in charge of this plot, please spare me. I’m begging you.

“Techno, look!”

Dream’s voice takes me out of my thoughts. He turns to me with his big green eyes and I feel the ever so slight need to cover his face with something, _anything._ I am not a simp, but the guy is way too good looking without his mask, with the shiny eyes and the freckles speckled over his face. His mask got lost during the dimensional trip, though he doesn’t seem too bothered about showing his face around.

“Doesn’t this look familiar?” He says, showing me a poster that is, indeed, familiar.

It is mostly blue, with a smiling man in armor in the middle and the word “Gabriel” written under it. Under that name, is a paragraph about a building competition and how the winner will get to meet the “brave swordsman who killed the Ender Dragon.” For some reason, I can feel dread filling me as my mind works to connect the dots. Then it works a little more to even accept the possibility.

While all that happens, Dream looks at me with amusement, but I can see how he fidgets, moving from one foot to the other, nimble fingers playing with the paper of the poster. He bites his bottom lip and I know that he knows what I just figured.

“... I’m going to _end_ Wilbur.”

* * *

**Behold! A Meme!**


	2. Why Isn’t There A Genocide Route?

“So we are inside the world of Minecraft Story Mode…”

“All my nightmares have become true.”

Dream chuckles, still playing with the poster in his hands.

“And, by the look of it, we’re at the very beginning of the story.”

“I didn’t know you played it.”

“I was curious,” he shrugs, and Techno sighs, the usual will to tease the blonde nowhere to be found, “I think I know how to go back. Remember the hallway with all the different portals to different worlds? Maybe we can try that?”

“But we don’t know where the portal to get to the hallway is, only the protagonist and their friends know the exact location… Wait, you’re not thinking of…?” Techno pales at Dream’s sheepish expression. “No, no, no, we are  _ not  _ doing that.”

“C’mon, they’re not that bad! And Reuben will be there, don’t you like Reuben?”

“You know who  _ else _ will be there? Fucking  _ Lukas,  _ Dream!”

“You and your obsession with Lukas, I really don’t get why you hate the guy so much.”

“He’s useless!”

“He’s a supporting character in a kid’s game, he is supposed to be a  _ little  _ useless.”

“Try ‘a whole lot’.”

“Well, do you have a better idea?” Dream asks, face impassive as he rolls up the poster and hides it in his hoodie pocket, “A single. Better. Idea?”

“... four episodes, Dream.”

“Packed with action, so we won’t get bored.”

“Bet.” Techno closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he opens them again, Dream is smiling at him like he just won something. Which he did and Techno hates him for it. He can feel his ear twitch in irritation. “Bruh…  _ Fine.” _

“Good! Now, if we follow the posters, we might find Jesse and their group. As long as the story ends normally, we’re gold.”

With that, they start walking.

Techno  _ really _ doesn’t want to go through all that again. Playing the game once had been enough, but  _ living _ it? Sign him the fuck out. The plot of this game is dull, most characters are boring and/or useless, the only who is actually good will die a terrible death and  _ Lukas. _ Just…  _ Lukas. _ Techno is going to  _ kill _ Wilbur for this. Also, the game is so old the server it is in must be outdated by now, nothing like the hyperrealistic servers he’s used to. He can’t wait to pick up mini items instead of the actual thing, sure won’t look stupid.

Dream is also annoyingly cheerful, humming some random song under his breath as his electric green eyes scan the world around him. He chuckles here and there, probably lost in his thoughts, hands buried in his hoodie’s pockets. Now that the pinkette thinks about it, Dream is dressed in a much more casual fashion than usual: the multiple belts and straps around his body with various weapons and items dangling are nowhere to be seen, and the heavy cargo pants were exchanged for a lighter pair of dark jeans that hugged his frame. The combat boots are still there, tho, together with the iconic hoodie, but the much more iconic mask is nowhere to be seen, allowing the world to see his freckles.

As if feeling eyes on him, the blonde turns around, giving him a curious look he answers with a shrug and a faint glare. Dream can skip ahead like a gazelle on three cups of coffee all he wants, Techno is not going to put more effort than “lazy stroll in someone else’s property”. Dream glares back, squinting a little, and Techno is hit with the sudden knowledge that his rival is pretty cute and the mask’s function is to probably hide that. A simp deterrent, if you will, and one absolutely useless at that because the mystery just made people stan the guy harder. Techno pities him a little.

He almost collides with Dream’s back when the blonde comes to a sudden stop, but before he can say anything, he hears voices coming from behind them. Turning around, Techno almost wants to scream some profanities, however it seems his intentions are obvious for Dream immediately grabs his wrist with enough strength to be a warning. They share a look and it’s decided Dream will do the talking.

Jesse and their friends take no time to notice the duo. And what view they must make: A tall guy—as tall as Axel, really—dressed in a white shirt, leather pants, knee high leather boots, with long pink hair and two very obvious pig ears poking out of the sides of his head and a sword on his hip—his crown got lost just like Dream’s mask; and a blonde just a few inches shorter than him with a bright green hoodie, jeans and combat boots, covered in freckles and with eyes that resemble Eyes of Ender. And they look like they’re holding hands.

That last point makes Techno try to wriggle his wrist out of Dream’s grasp, but ends up that the man is much stronger than he looks.

“Hey!” Jesse approaches them first. They—she? He doesn’t want to assume, but he’s pretty sure that is the first female Jesse—have a friendly smile that makes Techno want to turn around and try to find the portal by himself, plan be damned. “I haven’t seen you guys around! Are you here for the building competition?”

“Yeah, we are here to watch!” Dream is quick to answer, giving Techno’s wrist a last squeeze before finally letting go, “I’m Dream, this is Technoblade but you can call him Techno.”

“Those are some weird names,” Axel comments, as if he has any ground to say that when his name is  _ Axel. _

“I’m willing to bet they’re better than yours, monobrow.”

“My name is Axel, not monobrow.”

“And I was right.”

“Techno.” Dream glares at him, pursing his lips a little and Techno huffs, looking away. “I’m sorry about him, he’s just a very grumpy idiot.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’m Olivia and she’s Jesse.” Olivia waves her hand a little. Jesse steps a little closer to her to reveal a dressed up Reuben. “And this is Jesse’s pig, Reuben.”

“Excuse you? Reuben is more than just  _ ‘my pig’,  _ he’s my best friend and my wingman. My second in command.”

“Aaw, he’s dressed as the Ender Dragon!” Dream coos, crouching down to Reuben’s level. “Hi, Reuben. You look awesome!”

Reuben makes pleased noises, agreeing with Dream, and jumps in place a little in his excitement. Definitely the best character, Techno just wants to pet him. Is that weird? As a piglin hybrid, is it weird that he really wants to pet a pig, who is technically a distant relative? Well, he doesn’t care, at the end of this adventure—oh, god, don’t let him start sounding like Ivor—he will have petted Reuben at least once.

“Since we are all going to the same place, why don’t we go together?” Jesse asks, proudly patting Reuben’s masked head.

Dream agrees quickly, getting up with an excited smile, and the piglin hybrid envies him just a little bit for it. Can’t this asshole not look so happy when they’re both stuck in one of the worst games they could possibly be stuck on? Despite his internal monologue, Techno follows the group in silence, making sure to stay closer to Dream. He won’t admit it, but since he and Dream already know each other and have a rivalry thing going on, he feels better walking closer to him than the other three. Even if they aren’t complete strangers.

Besides, Dream can actually talk to people, so it works out.

“So, what are you guys building, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“A firework machine!” Jesse jumps a few times before gasping very loudly. “Guys! I just had an idea! We’re going about this wrong!”

“What do you mean?” Olivia stops to stare back at her friend and the whole group stops.

“We need to build something that gets the attention of the judges!”

“You just figured  _ that  _ now?”

“Techno.” Dream warns, elbowing him lightly.

Thankfully, the trio completely missed their bickering, too occupied in coming up with ideas to make their firework machine something  _ more. _ Axel suggests they make a creeper, since fear is sure to get a reaction out of the judges—not that he is wrong. Olivia then suggests an Enderman, arguing that they’re scarier than creepers, at least to her. Jesse seems to weigh the two options before offering a third one: zombies. Nothing scarier than something that used to be human except, maybe, an actual human. They finally settle for Jesse’s idea, and said girl proposes that they go grab some more materials.

“We will wait for you guys here, don’t worry,” Dream assures them and they part ways after a failed attempt at a group cheer.

“Aaaaand… Training montage.”

“It won’t take too long, I think.” The blonde sits down under a nearby tree, patting the ground near him as invitation. Techno follows his lead, and together they share the shade of a tree. “We could go ahead, but something tells me you’d rather see Lukas later rather than sooner.”

“Don’t think I’ll start liking you because of this.”

“Oh, c’mon, Pigsy, I already caught you staring, just give in to my charms, will you?” He winks and Techno snorts.

“What charms?”

Dream shows him his tongue before the brilliant smile returns to his face. They spend the next several minutes just like that, in peaceful silence under a tree. It’s a novelty for both of them, since their status as rivals usually puts them on different sides, away from each other, but now that they have no competition to win and nothing else from the Main Server or their homes, being near each other is appreciated.

If only they weren’t in Minecraft Story Mode of all servers.

If only.

* * *

**Another Meme**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~if... if y'all wanna send me memes... of Techno's suffering~~


	3. You’re A What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first step into Techno and Dream's Road to Adoption

“So, do you guys have a team name?”

Dream’s question brings the group’s cheers after the training session to a sudden stop, and he feels a little bad about it, but he promised himself he’d help them as much as he could without changing the plot too much and this seems like a good start. Of course, Technoblade is not aware of his little side quest, but considering how the piglin hybrid is clearly going to be a grouch and bitch his way through the plot a second time, it’s best he doesn’t know. Knowing Techno, he’ll probably do his best to mess with the group as much as he can.

“Oh my God, we don’t have a team name, we are _so_ not ready for this!” Olivia worries, but Jesse—bless her and her ever so sassy voice—is quick to calm her down.

“How about Dead Enders?” Dream suggests, ignoring Techno’s snort.

“That sounds _really_ cool,” Axel agrees promptly.

“Nah, name it Order of The Pig, in honor of the only cool guy in your team.” Techno points to Reuben, who seems conflicted between being proud of himself and offended on his friend’s behalf.

“Then, how about Ender Pigs?” The blonde answers Techno’s glare with a big smile, knowing it’ll annoy him to no end.

In the end, they pick Dream’s last suggestion, and if the man’s smile got stupidly smug, well, no one but the piggy being teased noticed. The rest of the walk is filled with friendly conversation, with Dream asking all sorts of questions while pretending he doesn’t know everything about these characters after playing and replaying the game every time he got remotely bored and couldn’t go outside. Technoblade walks by his side in silence, posture a little slumped and hands in his pockets, like he’s just strolling in his backyard. The blonde is glad for his proximity, it helps soothe his nerves.

Because no matter how confident he tries to appear, the truth is that Dream’s anxiety is not a happy camper right now. He is in an entirely new universe with practically nothing but his clothes, flint and steel—he has an habit of always keeping those in his Inventory Pocket since he visits the Nether almost regularly—, and his trusty iron axe—not the most powerful weapon he has, considering the materials and the enchantments that focus on making it durable instead of powerful, but it has saved him more times than he cares to count and Dream isn’t ready to let go of it any time soon.

And, of course, his mask is gone. Not having his mask ready to cover his face is… an experience. He knows, of course, that no one in this universe knows who he is—he dearly hopes that’s the case—, but he still can’t help feeling a little uncomfortable without the smooth ceramic armor.

Though he feels a little better after catching Techno staring at him with a hint of awe. Dream isn’t self-conscious about his face, he knows he is good looking by most people’s standards, but he has one fatal flaw: his face, in particular his eyes, are way too expressive. He’s gotten better at keeping a poker face, but it still needs active effort. In a way, he envies how the pinkette can so easily mask whatever he’s thinking and feeling.

And being gawked at by a handsome man is always nice. To this day, Dream firmly believes the piglin hybrid to be the most handsome guy he has ever seen, and Dream has a tendency to attract the hot ones—at least that’s what his friends said, as if they both aren’t also so very hot. He’s lucky he is good at hiding blushes because the intensity of those crimson eyes, even if they try to hide behind a foggy cloud of indifference, would make him blush madly otherwise.

“So, where do you two come from?” Jesse asks.

“We are from a very far away place.”

“And you came all the way here to see a building competition?”

“We are travelling, actually, and just happened to stumble upon it.”

“And do people dress up as pigs often where you come from?”

Dream barely can contain the laughter, but a choked snort does come out even when he covers his mouth with both his hands. Techno turns his gaze to Axel, red eyes blazing in a glare, but Axel is the type of character that won’t get intimidated unless directly attacked, so Technoblade’s legendary Glare of The Blood God is lost on him. A dense fool, one could say, but undeniably powerful. Techno’s glare goes to Dream next, even though both of them know the blonde is more than immune to having all types of eyes on him, and not even the raging hellfire in the pinkette’s eyes can make the blonde cower.

He can see the piglin hybrid’s ear twitch ever so slightly in annoyance.

“It’s a bet!” Dream pipes in before Techno could say something mean, to put it lightly, “We made a bet and I won, so he has to wear that until I tell him to take it off.”

“And why a pig?” Jesse asks, smiling so brightly Dream wants to hug her for being so cute. Needless to say, female Jesse was his favorite character when he played, and it seems he is still very fond of her.

“Everybody likes pigs,” Techno answers with a shrug, “Including me.”

“I had no idea you knew how to like things,” the tallest of the protagonist trio teases, poking Techno on the shoulder fearlessly.

Damn, _that_ is something weird to watch. Technoblade is a well known man in the Main Server, the King of PVP, the Blood God, the one guy no one wants to go against but everyone wants to take down. Of course, it is not empty fame, Techno truly is an amazing fighter with an overpowering presence in the battlefield that trails after him even outside it. But here, the name Technoblade means _nothing._ Techno is just a nobody here, no one can even dream of what this man is capable of, which makes them treat him like he’s just a normal guy. There is some poetry somewhere in all of that, but Dream is not going to think about it right now. Or ever. He’s not that close to the pinkette, anyways, so it’s not like it matters much.

“Yes, Axel, I’m glad you’re finally noticing how much of an as—Ow! What was that for?!”

Dream glares right back at the taller man, hands ready to jab at his side again.

“Don’t curse near them!”

“What? It’s not like they are children, nor are you their mother.” Dream raises his hand a little and Techno flinches minutely, massaging the attacked flesh. “How old _are_ you guys, anyways?”

“I’ll be eighteen in a few days, Olivia will be eighteen in, like, three months and Axel will turn seventeen at the end of the year. Why?”

Dream can _feel_ the color drain from his face, and even Techno’s mask of indifference breaks a little as the man’s eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. The blonde’s previously raised hand grabs the pinkette’s shirt for support, and it’s proof of how shaken the piglin is when he doesn’t pull away, or react for that matter. They spend a few seconds like that, staring at a very confused group of teenagers—holy fuck, _teenagers!_ Axel is literally _Tommy’s age._ Tubbo literally turned seventeen the other month. _Holy fuck—,_ until Techno snaps out of it first, looking more concerned than he probably would’ve liked. 

“Oh my God, they are all brats. That makes so much sense. We’re all screwed.”

“Techno!”

* * *

**Memes, memes, memes**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meme idea from Luna0302


	4. Fu—Freaking Lukas!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deep talks with Teenager Roaster and Mother Hen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get used to so many quick updates, dears. It's sad that I have to say that, but now that Dream and Techno are aware that things CAN deviate from the original plot, means that things WILL and that takes longer than just throwing them inside the story and letting them watch from the sidelines.
> 
> ALSO, while some people say that drowning can be really painful (ironically, it feels like *burning* of all things), some people say it is actually quite painless and peaceful. So that's where the description from Techno comes, for reasons that I'll explain later on. Don't try to test that and see which category you fit, please.

“Oh, great. There’s Lukas and the Ocelots.”

Technoblade wants to groan, and groan really, really loudly. So he does, because fuck this and fuck them all. He has been dreading this encounter with every inch of his being, and considering how tall he is, that is a  _ lot _ of inches. Maybe he could have survived the nightmare that is Story Mode, maybe he could have muscled his way through it all, he  _ is _ Technoblade, after all. Dealing with tiresome things is something he is more than used to. He literally has Tommy as a little brother, for God’s sake. And, even if he were to lose his mind, Dream could bring him back, the blonde balancing Techno’s sturdiness with his characteristic fluidity.

But  _ that _ would only happen in a universe without fucking  _ Lukas _ in it. However, there he is, standing with that ugly jacket in the middle of his good-for-nothing friends who think they’re  _ the shit _ but as soon as they’re left alone to think for themselves, their plans are pathetic and their brain cells are inexistent. Techno hates to admit it, but Lukas is the only one with a somewhat functional brain in the Ocelots. But what is the point if he isn’t going to use it?

Techno’s loud groan gains the attention of said group, and an annoyed glance from Dream. Heh, serves him right, the blonde has been taking too much pleasure in teasing him with the brats on the way here. Revenge, bitch.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Order of the Losers,” the guy who later will get his ass kicked taunts—Techno can’t even be bothered to remember his name, so he shall be called ‘Minion 1’—, sneering at them.

“Very creative, where did you get  _ that  _ one from? Bullying For Dummies? Basic Bastards 101?” Listen, he already is going through a lot right now, he at least gets to be a little mean to stupid bullies. Dream seems to share his sentiment, crossing his arms defiantly.

“Who the heck are you?” The girl,  _ Minion 2,  _ questions with an ugly frown worthy of her face, “Did the losers get scared and called Daddy?”

Gross.

“Grab your daddy issues and go build a castle, won’t you? I’m sure there’s enough material for it.”

“Listen here—!” Minion 3 starts, but Lukas puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Enough, let’s go.” The blonde’s eyes linger on Techno and Dream for a second before he walks away, his minions going after him like a line of monkeys following a string.

“I never understood what got up their butt’s and died for them to be like that,” Dream mutters, throwing a last glare at the Ocelot’s backs before smiling at the trio behind him, “Now go and have fun! You can do this! Oh, and be careful!”

“They’ll be fine, it’s not like they’re fighting a dragon.”

“Still, be careful.”

The three teens—they’re  _ teens, holy shit,  _ he still can’t believe it—smile gratefully at them, Axel even daring to lightly punch him on the shoulder as a silent thanks when he walks past him. They seem much happier than before, posture a little more straight and smiles a little more confident.

… Please, God, don’t let him turn into Philza and adopt children left and right.

“Earth to Technodaddy.” Dream laughs as he dodges Techno’s fist.

“Call me that again, and I  _ will end you.” _

“Sure, sure.”

They both stay silent for a few moments, watching as the contestants get ready to start building. Techno leans on the fence boredly, eyes eventually slipping to the figure of the man standing on his side. Dream has a solemn expression on his face, green eyes calculating the steps ahead. The pinkette always thought he is fascinating when he gets like this, when he finally shows that he is deep in thought. One of the rare moments Dream is quiet and his usually average presence turns  _ breathtaking. _

Techno has to admit, at least to himself, that he can never be the same as Dream. It’s not that he is weaker than the blonde, far from it, but because of how different they are. Technoblade is a volcano, he is the lava that burns and swallows, his power is a constant flow of raw strength and energy. But Dream, Dream is like the depths of the ocean, no rage, no burning, no rawness. You don’t think about it until it has enveloped you in a tight embrace, and once you’re there all that is left is to let it pull you, let it take you to its arms painlessly. It's gorgeous, it’s peaceful and breathtaking in all meanings.

“What are you thinking so deeply?” He asks, waving away his thoughts before they became too poetic.

“I know that this is the only shot we have at going back home, since we need Ivor to be a relatively good guy so he can lead us to the hallway, but… I wish things were different.” Dream looks at him, green eyes deep and alluring, like a siren’s sorrowful lullaby. “These are not just characters, they are real, living people, and we aren’t just spectators watching from a distance, not anymore. Now we can legitimately interfere with their lives.”

“The Wither Storm has to happen so the Order can get their shit together, but it will make lots of people suffer… and maybe even die, if we fail.”

Because that is the truth. This might be the same story as the game, but this is a real universe, with real people in it. There is no coding behind it forcing the plot to follow the script, the guarantee of winning is no more, as proven by the small and inconsequential, yet very telling, change of the trio of protagonists naming their team  _ before _ getting in the place of the competition. And it’s hard even to say that it’s because of their arrival, since no matter what the universe, no matter the  _ server,  _ as long as there are people with free will, nothing is set in stone. Even without Techno and Dream here, the chance of Jesse and the others failing already looms like a dark cloud.

And, yet, can they really toy with those possibilities? Is it ok for them to shrug it off because it could happen anyway and pursue their own objectives? Probably not, but staying there is not an option either. They  _ need _ to leave, they have built entire lives for themselves, they couldn’t just abandon it all, abandon  _ all of theirs,  _ because they fear what might happen. It’s unfair to them to be trapped there, and hard to judge where that fact overlaps with the selfishness of their actions.

Techno likes chaos. Techno doesn’t care for people he’s not close with. Techno enjoys battling and enjoys winning. But he is not aggressive for no reason. He does not go out of his way to hurt others, specially others that are innocent. But now he has to choose between everything that matters to him, and an entire server. A selfish man contemplating such things, if that doesn’t sound like hypocrisy…

“We will not fail.”

Dream’s voice is firm as his hand grabs Techno’s, squeezing it a little. His hand is trembling when the pinkette returns the gesture. Dream, too, is conflicted, perhaps even more than Techno. But he smiles, something small and a little shaky but still perseverant, and Techno feels himself smile back, something small and a little bitter but still assuring.

They will not fail.

A sudden noise catches their attention. Looking up, they watch as fireworks paint the sky in various colors. It’s pretty, but a waste during the day. When Techno tells Dream that, he gets a laugh and an agreement in return. With one last squeeze, one that is reciprocated almost immediately, the piglin hybrid lets go of the blonde’s hand and jumps over the fence, knowing Dream is following him.

Show time.

* * *

** Meeeeeeeme~ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meme idea by AGoodBean117


	5. Oh, boy, a narrow bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens, Techno simps, Dream blushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the name of the chapter is an actual quote from Technoblade's Minecraft Story Mode playthrough. Because I had no idea what to name this chapter.

“Jesse, come with us, we’ll help you find Reuben! Axel and Olivia, stay here and save the machine!” Dream yells, trying to be heard through all the noise of the firework machine and the loud exclamations coming from the people around. Thankfully, the teens are able to hear him and soon jump down the zombie statue.

Sharing a nod, Jesse separates from her friends, joining Dream and Techno. While the duo works on saving their machine, the trio runs off to look for the missing pig. So they weave their way through the woods for what felt like hours, the girl calling the pig’s name every so often. She eventually suggests they split up, since it would make finding Reuben faster, but both men refuse, arguing that it’s already getting dark and it would be dangerous. Jesse agrees after some convincing, and it pains Dream that he can’t just assure her that Reuben is fine, having to resort to comforting her with a hand on her shoulder. If the server follows the game’s storyline, then Reuben is fine, if not just a little scared. But if not, then there is a chance he’ll get hurt, maybe even die, and that would _crush_ Jesse. And a heartbroken Jesse is no good.

He exchanges a look with Techno, who nods in understanding, probably sharing the same thoughts.

“Do you think he’s ok?”

“Jesse, I have known Reuben for less than a day, but even I can tell he’s one amazing pig. He is fine and waiting for you.”

“Thanks, Dream.”

And true to his words, soon enough they find Reuben hiding behind tall grass with a terrified look in his eyes, quite far away from the town near a very dark tunnel. The poor thing jumps when he hears them approaching, but calms down considerably when Jesse starts talking, offering him a carrot she picked in the way while petting him. Dream really wants to coo, but noises coming from the tunnel behind them take away the cutesy feeling of the scene.

“Dream.” It’s all Techno says, but the blonde knows what he means when he grabs the sword dangling from his hip, a fierce look taking over the usual emotionlessness.

“Jesse, Reuben, stay back.”

Jesse turns to them, probably to ask why they are suddenly so serious, when she finally notices the situation. It’s already night, and zombies are starting to crawl out to wander in the land of the living. They groan and moan, nothing left but husks of what once were humans with thoughts and feelings. Their skin is green and sickly, weakened by time to the point of almost ripping apart without any external influence, hanging to almost exposed bones like destroyed spiderwebs. Even their clothes are rotten, looking like they melted together with the putrid flesh.

How odd.

This server is outdated, it is nothing like the super realistic servers both Techno and Dream are used with, it almost looks _childish_ in comparison. But then why do the zombies look just like the ones from the recent servers? Were they programmed to be so from the very beginning? Did the Creator truly create such nightmares in such detail from the start, before most what exists now could even dream of existing?

No time to stop and wonder, however. It is night, and zombies will soon be the last of their worries. With no shields, if they get surrounded by skeletons they’ll be in trouble, mostly because of Jesse and Reuben. They need to find Petra quickly and get the Hell out of here, so Dream takes out his trusty iron axe out of his hoodie pocket, ready to kill some mobs. He does smile when Jesse gasps at the view of both his and Techno’s weapons, the pinkette’s diamond blade shining under the pale moonlight.

The fight is a pleasant dance, a trip down memory lane, except this time, instead of facing each other, Dream and Techno are back to back, making a protective circle around the teen and her pig. Zombies, spiders and the odd creeper are nothing to the two growing legends of the Main Server, their blades cutting through the enemies with ease and even elegance. Technoblade is powerful, a heavy presence that can’t be overcomed, while Dream is agile, moving with fluidity that carries everything away. Together, they end the battle victorious.

“That was so cool!” Jesse exclaims as soon as it ends, but before she can say anything, an arrow narrowly misses her face, making her recoil in shock with a squeal.

The skeletons are here, and they’re not looking friendly. Luckily, Petra finally shows up, waving a hand at them while holding an iron pickaxe with the other. She calls out for them, pointing at where her base most likely is. It’s no brainer to Dream, who immediately runs to her; Jesse quickly picks Reuben up—and, _damn,_ that girl is _strong—_ and runs after him, Techno following behind to protect their backs.

They run and they run, until they reach the cave Petra is using as a base. Dream can’t help but smile at the rudimentary structure, with its still cube-like appearance and the quirky lighting. Sure, a tunnel is nothing new for him, and he will never be able to live through the wonder of entering his first dimly lit cave, but the nostalgia that hits him is enough to make him both sad and joyous. There is a word, now that he thinks about it, for that feeling in Portuguese, that longing that lingers in between the limits of sadness and happiness: Saudade. He’s not sure why he’s suddenly remembering it, but it fits.

“Memories?” Techno asks, probably having noticed how out of it the blonde is. There is amusement in his voice, but his eyes are pools of the same feeling swimming in Dream’s.

“It’s funny, this is so outdated it’s bringing back a lot.”

They smile at each other, a shared moment only for them, finally paying attention to the two girls talking in front of them.

“This isn’t my first time in a cave, Petra.” Jesse sasses, putting a hand on her hip as Reuben oinks in agreement. They are so cute.

“Yeah, but have you ever seen a wither skull?” Petra smiles, showing off her prize. If only she knew how many of those both Dream and Techno have collected over the years. “Fresh from the Nether.”

Jesse awes at the item with eyes full of wonder, acting as if going to the Nether is a big deal. Which probably is for the people of this world, since going to other realms isn’t really a necessity, so they probably never set foot in the Nether. It’s a dangerous place for normal people, anyways, with the lava and annoying mobs; one can’t just enter the Nether without some preparation and a good dose of foolish bravery. Of course, both Dream and Techno have been there, Techno probably was born there since he is a _piglin hybrid,_ and the blonde is always running there for one reason or another, most of the time for the Manhunts. Dream is about to warn Techno to keep his mouth shut so the girls can keep their sense of wonder, but he’s a little too late.

“What? Like it’s hard?”

“What do you mean? Have _you_ ever been to the Nether?” The redhead challenges, glaring at him.

“Again, _like it’s hard?”_

“Techno!” Dream elbows his friend—friend? He guesses they can be labelled as friends. “Stop crushing other people’s fun.”

“What? They want to talk about the Nether! We are the Nether specialists.”

“Wait, wait, pause,” Jesse interrupts their bickering with stars in her eyes, “Dream also went to the Nether?!”

“Yep! Back home, he has made a name for himself with all the crazy stunts he pulls.” The pinkette throws an arm over the blonde’s shoulders, bringing their bodies so close their sides touch. “You have to see him jumping around like he’s walking on clouds.”

As Jesse exclaims how cool it all sounds, and Petra rolls her eyes in annoyance, the blonde speedrunner feels a blush come to his cheeks, not burning but definitely noticeable. Damn it, he suddenly misses his mask more than before; blushing is _always_ embarrassing, makes him look meek and calls attention to his freckles, which supposedly makes him look “cuter” and makes people around him treat him as such. Thankfully, he doesn’t think anyone here is going to call him _dollface_ and try to flirt with him.

He changes the subject anyways, prompting the group to keep walking. Luckily, Techno lets go of him without problem.

“What is that skull for?”

“A guy I’m meeting at EnderCon offered me a diamond for it.”

“And you fell for that?”

“What Techno means is that a diamond might be too little in exchange for a wither skull. I mean, going to the Nether, finding a Fortress, fighting enough wither skeletons for a single head to drop…”

Oh, the memories of the past, when wither skulls were hard to find, instead of hard to get intact. In their “home”, as Technoblade put so kindly earlier, the skeletons’ heads will drop for certain every time, but most of them will be damaged either by something previous to the battle, the battle or the fall when it gets separated from the neck; “glass skulls” they’re called by some. And cracked wither skulls are only good for edgy decoration.

“Well, diamonds are not easy to find, nor am I going to dig around to get them, so…” Petra shrugs like the teenager she also must be.

“Hey, how old are you?”

“I don’t know why that’s relevant, but I’m nineteen. My name is Petra, by the way. Probably should have asked that first, don’t you think?”

“I’m Dream, this is Technoblade but you can call him Techno.”

“Weird names.”

“I’m dressed as a pig, blonde here does parkour above lava pools, what did you expect?”

Dream is seriously going to hit Techno. Can the guy stop antagonizing children for _five minutes?_ Is that too much to ask? He glares up at the man—the bastard is a good two inches taller, to add insult to injury—, getting squinted eyes and a frown as a result. The two girls keep on talking, Petra no doubt inviting Jesse to work with her and then pointing to a crafting table, warning Jesse that it’s better to have a stone sword than a wooden sword. The blonde agrees with her, of course, and offers to take the wooden sword and put it in his inventory so Jesse won’t be carrying too much.

Honestly, he just wants that sword gone. Who in the world allowed a teenager to walk around with just a wooden sword, and a shabby one at that? No wonder it breaks so easily in the original timeline, it’s practically cracked already, right in the middle. A strong wind would break it in two. As soon as he can, the blonde is _so_ giving Jesse an iron sword. This poor excuse of a weapon is offensive. He’ll burn it when he gets the chance.

“Shut up, Technoblade,” Dream grumbles, pouting at the man who’s clearly holding back his snickers.

“He didn’t say anything?”

“He’s laughing at me.”

Petra looks at them with an odd look for a good minute before turning back to Jesse to guide her through using the crafting table. Thankfully, it seems no matter how outdated or hyper realistic servers may be, the crafting table still works the same, quite like the zombies. One of the constants of Minecraft and its multiverse. There is something poetic about it all, something almost _sacred,_ but he’s not really in the mood for thinking such things. Specially now that they reach a narrow bridge they can see the town from. Fireworks paint the sky.

“Look! Fireworks! That means we won!” Jesse jumps excitedly, grabbing Dream’s arm and shaking him lightly while Reuben celebrates just as loudly. “We finally won against that jerkface and his group!”

“Congratulations, Jesse! I knew you could do it!” The blonde smiles brightly at her, hugging the girl tightly. “I’m proud of you guys!”

“We need to go, Olivia and Axel are waiting for us to celebrate!” She says to Reuben as soon as the man lets go of her, skipping ahead with the pig on her heels.

Or, at least, they _would_ have skipped ahead, if it weren’t for the mobs at the end of the bridge approaching. Jesse stops, wiping out her new sword, but she is not fast enough and one of the creepers begins its explosion. Dream’s body moves without him noticing, and soon his axe is sending the creeper to its demise, condemned to explode in midair. Jesse thanks him, but it barely registers when he hears the noises of more mobs coming from where they came from.

Soon they are surrounded.

“Ok, what do we do?” Petra asks, sword in hands. For someone who supposedly just went to the Nether to get a skull, she seems way too concerned about Overworld mobs.

“Either fight or jump, no other options.” Dream answers.

“Do you have any idea of how bad _wet pigs_ can smell? I am _not_ jumping in the water, smiles, so you better put that nice ass to work.”

“Techno, language! And thanks, it _is_ a lovely backside~”

“Guys, you can flirt later!” Petra yells, exasperated, at the same time as Jesse makes a face while saying “Ew, gross!”

Techno offers him a sly smile, one Dream is very familiar with, a smile he himself always wears when in a battle he will end victorious. These mobs won’t even know what hit them.

* * *

**MEEEEEEME :3**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meme suggestion by EnviousHope


	6. No time to talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brought to you by an author that has read too many romances and characters that apparently have read too little.

As they walk back to the town, the girls walking a few paces in front of them with Reuben, Techno yawns with abandon, not even bothering to cover his mouth. To think Jesse and Petra had struggled so much with that group of mobs in canon when all it took him and Dream was a good minute and some minimal effort. Techno is not a humble person nor is he a hypocrite to fake humbleness; he earned every awed cheer and compliment Jesse had to dish out after the battle.

His companion, Dream, is much the same, the cocky bastard, but instead of full of himself he looks cute because of the blush. To think the proud leader of the Dream Team has such an expressive face. Even now, as he yawns in a reflex, it’s obvious what he is feeling: Dream is tired and a little grumpy. There is a slight furrow to his brows, and his eyelids drop a little every now and then. There is also the beginning of a pout on his lips. As if feeling eyes on him, the blonde looks at Techno with a raised brow, making the pinkette hold back a chuckle. By the glare sent through squinted eyes, Techno knows Dream knows he’s laughing inside, a power he has no idea how the speedrunner got. It took Wilbur years to get that, so it’s really surprising, but it kind of fits Dream and his ever so mysterious self.

Dream sighs a little, walking a little closer to the piglin hybrid, and Techno is reminded of the fact that the blonde is a very tactile person when he grabs the pinkette’s wrist. His grip is weak, letting it clear that Techno can just shake him off if he wants, which he doesn’t. Dream must already be missing his team now that they have the time to relax before another big event starts. Technoblade himself feels the absence of his family.

“Techno, I think we should let Jesse and Petra talk with Ivor alone.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to interfere with the plot too much, and there is nothing we  _ can _ interfere with to begin with.”

Techno hums, toying with the blonde’s words in his mind. If he is to be honest, he also thought of that. Petra and Jesse getting scammed is the trigger to the biggest part of the plot, since Ivor  _ needs _ the head and Jesse’s group  _ needs _ to get inside his hideaway so Axel can steal the potion to stop the command block, causing the Wither Storm to exist. There is no telling what might happen if they interfere with that particular piece of plot. It really would be best to just let it run its course.

“Girls?” Dream calls, probably seeing the agreement in Techno’s eyes or something, and the two girls turn to look at him just before they enter the town, “We’re going to leave you two to it, ok? If you need something, we’ll be around enjoying the EnderCon.”

Petra is quick to agree, of course, since this whole ordeal is supposed to be a secret thing, but there is an odd look in her eyes as she stares at their faces then their hands and back again. Techno stares back, unfazed. Jesse pouts a little, but accepts after Dream reassures her they will be at the EnderCon and promises to meet her later to celebrate the Ender Pigs’ victory. It’s a lie, of course, but the black haired teen doesn’t know that, smiling brightly and cheering with Reuben. If only they knew what’s about to go down.

Their group separates as soon as they enter town, Jesse waving at them before following after the redhead, Reuben right after her. Dream’s grip on Techno’s wrist becomes more certain, and soon the blonde is eagerly guiding them to the food barracks, looking like a man on a mission. It’s a pretty cute look on him. Techno isn’t one for touching, but he’s surprisingly ok with the feeling of the other man’s hand against his skin. To think not bothering to button his sleeves worked just fine. Take that, Philza.

The food is just what they expected: meat, fruits, bread and stew, everything craftable with a table and cookable with a furnace. But the smell is  _ really _ nice for a pair who hasn’t eaten anything the entire day. Dream wilts a little bit when Techno asks him if he has any money, but perks up again when the pinkette shows off his stack of emeralds for emergencies.

“I’m so used to being self-sufficient that I forget money is, like,  _ a thing,”  _ he explains once the pinkette teases him for carrying flint and steel but not money.

“I’d say ‘same’, but I honestly couldn’t be bothered to make most stuff myself.”

Dream laughs, loud and free, tugging Techno in the direction of a random barrack, the two getting in line behind a weird guy with big yellow glasses that assaults the eyes of whoever looks at it for more than half a second. Techno had forgotten how tacky most of the background characters looked in the game.  _ And _ some of the relevant characters.

“For the record, I eat pretty much anything, but let’s stay away from the pork chops.”

“Sure, after seeing Reuben, I really don’t feel like eating pig any time soon.”

“About that, we  _ are _ saving Reuben.”

“You read my mind, Pigsy.”

“Wow, such a new nickname, I’ve never heard that one before,” the pinkette deadpans, feeling his shoulders relax as his companion giggles, “Get some new material, Smiles, for the love of God.”

“Oh, hush, you fake prince.” Dream’s eyes shine and Techno’s ear twitch.

“Don’t you dare.”

“Dare what,  _ Princey?” _

“I hate you.”

“Sure you do.”

“I don’t even have my crown on me!”

“Irrelevant.”

Once they get their food, handed to them by a smiling lady with the same look in her eyes as Petra had earlier, they sit down on some nearby steps, enjoying the first moment of peace since the building competition. They eat in comfortable silence, letting the sounds of the festival fill the role of background noise. Techno eats slowly, barely registering the taste as thoughts run inside his mind. Mostly wandering fancies of going back home and kicking the shit out of Wilbur for stranding them in Minecraft Story Mode of all places, but some were worries about getting out of this server and how the people back home are doing.

Their meal ends in the same silence as it started, and the pinkette can only imagine what type of picture they make together, sitting there in silence while staring off at the distance. It’d be even funnier if Techno had his crown—his very much real crown, no matter what Dream says, Techno  _ is _ royalty, somewhat—and Dream had his mask—the unnerving blank stare and the eerily drawn smile is sure to catch some looks. Thinking about that…

“You seem to be doing ok without your mask,” the piglin remarks, looking down on the man sitting by his side. Dream does the same, his wild mane of a hair shining like gold under the lights of the festival, a few strands stubbornly curling on his cheekbones.

“I am pretty nervous, actually, but it’s not too bad. I use it mostly because my face is very expressive,” as if trying to prove his point, Dream’s bottom lip pokes out a little bit in an unconscious pout, “But there is no reason to hide it right now.  _ And _ no one has tried to flirt with me yet, so I’m kinda comfortable.”

“So the mask  _ is _ to keep the simps away.”

“Yes? I guess? It’s to keep the creeps away, otherwise they’ll just flocker to me like chickens.” Dream puffs his chest and deepens his voice comically and pulling a chuckle out of thie pinkette, “‘Don’t you wanna go somewhere else, dollface?’’

_ “Dollface,  _ really?”

“Yes, I hate it. There are only so many times slimy people can call you that before you snap. So to avoid that headache, I wear the mask.”

Techno hums in understanding and they spend the next few seconds in silence before Dream suddenly grabs his arm with one hand. His green eyes glimmer with mischievous joy, highlighted by the lights surrounding them, making the faint speckles of gold scattered in the pools of forest green visible. The piglin hybrid raises an eyebrow, prompting the man to say whatever just came to him.

“Wait, did you just say I’m good-looking?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did! You said ‘the mask is to keep the simps away’ like it was obvious!” Dream shakes his arm a little. “You  _ are _ falling for my charms! Is it the eyes? George says my eyes are nice, it’s the eyes, isn’t it?”

“Your eyes are cute,” Techno admits nonchalantly, because it’s an obvious fact anyone would agree with, but he feels like he did something unnecessary the moment the shining green eyes of his companion go dull in disappointment. The talk they just had replays in his mind, and he wants to kick himself. Instead, he keeps on talking. “The more I look, the prettier they seem.”

“Really?” Dream asks, eyes slowly gaining their shine again. A blush rises to his cheeks when the pinkette leans down, their faces so close their noses brush against one another.

“Yeah, they’re beautiful. Definitely the centerpiece of your pretty boy face.”

“P—!” The blonde stammers, his blush worsening as he averts his eyes.

“What, no one ever called you pretty boy, Smiles?”

“... not with such a serious face…”

The almost whispered answer snaps Technoblade of the weird spell he’s under, making him blink owlishly before his own cheeks explode in red. He finally notices the situation they’re in: sitting so close together their knees and shoulders touch, with one of Techno’s hands holding Dream’s chin—he has no memory of ever doing that—, the blonde blushing so strongly his freckles make him look like a ladybug, their faces so close that one little nudge would be enough to bring their lips together.

_ Holy  _ **_fuck._ **

“Ah!” The piglin hybrid lets go of his companion quickly, almost as if the touch burned, scooting away to put some space between them. “Sorry.”

Techno wants to make a hole and hide his head, not daring to look at the other. His heart pounds inside his chest in an unprompted tango, and he would really appreciate it if it would  _ stop. _ The blonde  _ just _ told him about the creeps that kept bothering him so much, he had to wear a mask, and yet here is Technoblade, acting like a goddamn creep. Without even thinking or noticing! What a creep.

“N… no, it’s fine… I… don’t mind…”

What the holy Hell is this man saying now?

Techno takes a deep breath, trying to calm his burning face, but before he can even turn to look at Dream again, a loud commotion can be heard, coming directly from where the Wither Storm is supposed to start. The pinkette gets up with a jump, reacting to the loud noise of a frantic crowd running away in fear, face paling. It is easy to make fun of something like the Wither Storm when you’re watching in the comfort of your house, through a screen and with the company of a chatroom, but now this is his reality, and that monster is now a very real threat.

“Techno!” Dream looks at him with alarm. He answers with a nod and soon they are running. No time to talk.


	7. Turn around and hit Q hard enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream has some Thoughts(TN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, if you're wondering for whatever reason, you can call me Tressa.

It is news to absolutely no one that Dream is a thrill seeker. He enjoys the feeling of adrenaline, the rapid beating of his heart, the shortening of his breaths, the cold sweating. He adores more than anything the feeling of exhilarating  _ fear _ that his heart bumps in his body like blood, and the feeling of satisfaction that comes after he overcomes said fear, the smugness of  _ surviving _ with all he has.

But this time, when the fear kicks in and the adrenaline pushes him to be faster, there are no good feelings.

Rationally, he  _ knows _ that Jesse and the others will survive this, they  _ need  _ to, otherwise there won’t be a plot to be followed, but he can’t help but worry. Because no matter how many times he reminds himself that they are inside a  _ game _ with a  _ script,  _ it all is just  _ so very real.  _ This is reality, and reality does not have the same niceties as a scripted game. And this server is not like the more evolved ones, this one is  _ old, _ it probably operates as a  _ Hardcore, _ and that means Death is very much permanent.

So he runs.

A loud rumbling noise can be heard as the building where Ivor awakens the Wither, and the destruction the creature makes is so great even the ground shakes.

The Wither Storm is  _ enormous. _ A dark and dense black matter, formless with no start or end, with multiple tentacles wriggling out of the main body, bringing down whatever is in their way. And the  _ faces!  _ Three giant faces with glowing teeth and one purple eye with a powerful beam of the same color that brings things to the creature. The monster roars, the sound so deafening Dream can feel it in his heart, curling around his very core. He hasn’t felt something like that since the first time he fought the Ender Dragon years ago.

That last thought brings his frantic sprint to a sudden halt, memories of confronting monsters for the first time are never pleasant, not when what is being remembered is the utter terror that engulfs like the depths of the ocean. The vast emptiness of the End, the fleeting sounds of Endermen, the chilling growlings of the Beast… Never a good memory, no matter how much of a necessary evil.

“Dream!”

Dream startles back to the present when someone grabs him by his waist, bringing him to a solid chest with enough strength to momentarily take away his breath with the impact. A beam passes just where he was standing, much to his unease. Looking back at his savior, he smiles in relief, trying to assure Techno that he is ok and he can let go. The pinkette still looks at him with worry as he does, silently telling him to be more careful, and the blonde can’t help but be happy at his friend’s reliable nature.

“Dream! Techno!” Jesse’s voice reaches them, and soon the girl herself can be seen running to them, her whole group plus Gabriel with her. Something eases inside Dream and he smiles briefly.

“Jesse! Guys!” He pulls the girl in a quick hug as soon as she’s close enough. “What is happening? What is  _ that?!” _

Of course, he knows  _ very well _ what is happening and what  _ that _ is, but he asks for the sake of keeping everything a secret. He can’t even  _ imagine _ how the group would react if they knew both Dream and Techno were aware of what would happen, and he definitely doesn’t want to have a demo.

“It’s a long story, we need to run right now!” Gabriel says, eyes rapidly going from the monster to Jesse, and Dream can’t help but resent him a little for involving teenagers in the Order’s bullshit. “We must go to my fortress, we’ll be much safer there!”

_ No, we won’t,  _ is what’s written all over Techno’s face, but the speedrunner just nudges the piglin a little, telling Jesse they’ll go with them. The girl smiles gratefully, and the whole group starts to run. Dream can do running, he has not stopped running since he first learned how to. If he ignores the screams of terror and the thunderous roars of the creature, he can pretend it’s just another day. Maybe another Manhunt, or another speedrun.

Soon enough, his mind focuses, and he might as well be dead to the outside world. This is one of the peculiarities he has developed over the years after defeating the Ender Dragon and leaving his original server: his laser focus in fast paced situations. It feels like he is surrounded by a bubble, like he’s an expectator watching things in slow motion, a singular existence separated from the reality he is currently. His eyes see better, his ears hear better, his body moves like water. Fluid and free, he is unstoppable. Dodging and even pushing off debris comes with almost supernatural ease, he has to hold back the whooping when he jumps over a tentacle coming directly to his face.

Something tells him his joy in this situation would not be appreciated.

Soon they reach Gabriel’s fortress, the “hero” opening the stone doors after explaining about the inner chamber and its obsidian walls. Dream feels bad for him, knowing it will not work against something like the Wither Storm since obsidian is  _ not _ unbreakable, but he holds it in, still riding in that focused state. As soon as the door opens, the blonde ushers the teens aside, throwing a look at the piglin hybrid and getting a nod back. Putting as much strength as he can in his legs, Dream runs inside, so fast he manages to even pass Axel, taking the flint and steel out of his Inventory and lighting up the portal.

“Get in!” He yells at the teens, quickly switching the flint and steel for his trusty axe when he hears Gabriel shout as a tentacle sends him flying a few feet. Jesse makes a move to go to him, but Dream is having none of that, shoving her and Petra after the others. “Lukas, make sure they stay there, we’ll go in a second!”

Without staying to see if the other blonde agreed, Dream turns and runs to where a very annoyed Techno is pulling a panicked Gabriel out of a tentacle’s grasp. Thankfully, being a piglin hybrid and specialized in battling means Technoblade is at least ten times stronger than Jesse, and there is barely any struggle as he frees the fake hero. While that happens, Dream distracts the second tendril, trying not to hit it too strongly in case it breaks his axe. Diamond swords don’t work on the Wither Storm, his axe, while trusty, certainly has no chance. 

“So many of them… I can’t save them all…”

“No time for poetry, sword man!” Techno shouts, sheathing his sword and throwing Gabriel over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “You can sing about that later!”

Dream snorts, hitting the tentacle one last time before sprinting back to the porta, knowing Techno is right behind him. He jumps first, the hot air of the Nether hitting him like a ton of bricks. He smiles at the familiar feeling of it, but he doesn’t have much time to enjoy the nostalgia when a certain black haired teenager barrels onto him like a particularly happy dolphin. His arms curl around her without hesitation as his eyes count the people waiting for them on the other side of the portal.

Olivia, Axel, Reuben, Petra, Lukas and,  _ obviously,  _ Jesse. Good, everyone is here.

“God, I forgot how hot this place is,” Techno comments as soon as he steps out of the portal, dropping Gabriel gracelessly on the netherrack floor, “I can see your grin, Smiles and I don’t appreciate it. Not all of us can be Nether dwellers.”

“You mean ‘not all of us have what it takes to go to the Nether’, yes?”

Dream hides his grin in Jesse’s hair, pleased with the playful glare he gets from the piglin hybrid. Before they can continue their banter, or Petra can say something about them flirting again—she has  _ that _ look in her eyes again—, the portal whispers again, and out of it comes Ivor, the portal immediately deactivating behind him, probably its other half being broken by the Wither Storm.

“Oh, you again.”

“That’s my line, bitch.”


	8. Pretend this chapter has a good title

Not to sound like a simp, but already simping a little, if Techno has to describe Dream in five words or less, then the words “compelling work of art” will come tumbling out of his mouth with abandon. Ever since Dream first appeared on his radar, Techno has enjoyed watching the fearless blonde and his crazy antics. He had his own stuff to do, of course, so he couldn’t spend much time watching the Dream Team’s leader, but when he could, he’d watch it with fierce attention. Specially the manhunts and speedruns, where Dream seems to awaken some special power that makes it look like time has stopped just for the blonde.

So, of course, the punch Dream delivers to Ivor’s face is also a work of art.

“Agh!” The old man grunts, taking a few steps back before directing a glare at Dream. “More needless violence. I’m sure it’ll help.”

“Be happy I just punched you, old man.” Dream takes his axe out, the iron blade shining crimson in the hellish Nether. “Keep that head of yours useful and I’ll let you keep it in your shoulders.”

See? A work of art.

“Ivor, what were you thinking?!” Gabriel asks, brows furrowed. It’d be scarier if he wasn’t so useless.

“He probably wasn’t,” Techno answers, crossing his arms, “But he better start now because there is a monster wrecking shit who’d love to eat away its creator.”

“Empty threats are really helpful,” Ivor scoffs.

“I don’t make empty threats, asshole.” Ok, Techno  _ really  _ wants to punch Ivor now. Maybe he can give the man a black eye to go with Dream’s, the man already looks like a racoon, won’t make that big of a difference.

“Ivor, we need to stop that creature!”

“There is no stopping that beast, Gabriel! Reunite the Order as many times as you want, it will be of no use!”

“Well, aren’t you a happy camper?”

“I am tired of being sassed by someone dressed as a pig!” Ivor shouts, making Techno’s ear twitch in irritation, “You better give up and learn to survive in the Nether, there is no hope left for the world up there!”

With that, the man swallows an invisibility potion in one go and disappears, leaving behind only one bottle. Silence reigns for a few moments until Dream suddenly erupts in laughter, loud and wheezy, clutching his stomach with one hand while holding himself up with the help of the axe. The group of teens and Gabriel look at him with confused looks, but Techno can only smile at the blonde’s joy.

“I can’t believe you sassed him away!” Dream exclaims once his laughter subsides.

“My best quality.”

“Oh, I think I can find a few more of those~”

Gabriel clears his throat before the pinkette can answer, looking from him to the blonde awkwardly, like an explorer trying to find out what the new thing they just found is. Petra and Lukas are sharing the same odd look, while Jesse and her friends just look confused. Dream winks at the piglin hybrid, putting away the iron axe with a glowing smile. 

“So, what now?” Jesse asks.

“There is a railroad not far away from here, if we take it, we might find the rest of the Order of the Stone! Together we will be able to defeat that monster!”

Techno  _ really _ wants to laugh right in Gabriel’s face for his arrogance. As far as he remembers, pretty much every victory the man has under his belt was obtained through cheating using the Command Block. The part that bothers the pinkette the most isn’t even the cheating—he couldn’t care less how they did it—, but how Gabriel still carries himself as if he is a hard working warrior who got to the top with his own skill. This fake hero will never know the bone deep exhaustion of countless training sessions, the painful calluses and blisters after hours of handling weapons, the aching of the muscles every movement.

Gabriel will never know what a true battle is. He will never experience standing in the middle of that stranded floating island, surrounded by void and certain death, unable to look around freely in fear of attracting the attention of Endermen while your heart trembles with the thunderous roar of the mighty dark beast. He will never get to experience the point of no return, the dread of the simple thought of dying and being forgotten in the End.

Gabriel will never carry that terror in his heart.

A hand grabbing his wrist snaps Techno out of his thoughts, green eyes looking at him with a complicated mix of worry and understanding. He nods minutely, knowing the blonde will understand his silent gratitude. His ears twitch as a sudden noise comes from nearby. No one else reacts, no one else should since he is the one with inhuman ears, but there is a Ghast coming in their direction. Ghasts are not hard to deal with, one hit with a sword to send its fireball back and it’s done, but they are very annoying in their loudness.

“You might want to start walking then, there’s something coming.” He looks at Dream, who nods with a slight smile—this man is always smiling, who would’ve thought that “Smiles” would fit him so well.

“You heard him, people! Chop, chop, Gabriel, show us the way!”

Gabriel looks like he wants to say something for a second, but shows that his brain cells still work somewhat by closing his mouth and pointing to the right direction. They run to the location of the railroad, Dream and Techno at the very back, and they’re almost there when the Ghast makes itself present with a shrill cry. Differently from the zombies, who already have terrifying detail, Ghasts in this server are much simpler with their smooth shape and pale flesh, like a jellyfish with hellish eyes and fire spit.

The piglin turns around just in time to hit the fireball back to the mob with his sword, the fireball hitting the thing square in the face, killing it instantaneously. Without even looking back to look, the pinkette runs back to the group, ignoring their awed looks. Dream quickly snaps them out of their reverie, guiding each of them to a mine cart. The order is Gabriel, Jesse with Reuben, Olivia, Petra, Lukas and Axel, with one empty minecart left.

“I hope you don’t mind sharing, Princy.”

“I’m not sitting on your lap, Smiles.”

Dream laughs as they both push the line of minecarts, running together to give it momentum. Once they’re sure it won’t stop, Techno jumps in, offering a hand to Dream, who grabs it with a thankful smile and jumps inside, falling on his but right in Techno’s lap. It’s a tight fit, the outdated servers only have one person minecarts, and both men are quite tall and big—Techno in particular—, but they manage to squeeze together, though Dream’s legs are dangling from the side. As the cart goes, the others start talking about the Nether, leaving Dream and Techno to talk quietly between themselves.

“I hate the Nether.”

“Really? Weren’t you born in the Nether?”

“Exactly. The server I came from, coming from the Nether is  _ never _ a good thing, no matter how much you tell people that  _ no, piglins don’t eat humans.” _

“Yikes. I feel bad for you, now. My server was mostly just boring. A set routine that would repeat every single day, it would drive me crazy.”

“Really? You preferred to fight the Ender Dragon instead of going through your routine? How old were you, anyways?”

“Twelve, and  _ yes, absolutely.  _ I will fight a thousand dragons if that means I won’t be trapped in that place again. Besides, I still visit from time to time.”

Techno hums, resting his arms on the borders of the cart.

“You can lean back, I won’t mind.”

“I thought you weren’t a fan of touching.”

“I think we can reach a compromise when crammed together like sardines in a can.”

Dream chuckles, leaning his back against the piglin hybrid’s chest. Almost immediately, his shoulders sag, a little satisfied breath leaving his lips, barely audible over the noise of the wheels rolling against the rails. If he concentrates, the pinkette can smell the fruity scent coming from the mess of blonde hair, something citrus like lime.

“Sleepy?”

“A little.”

“Take a nap, I’ll wake you when we get there.”

“Y’know, you’re surprisingly reliable. Are you sure you don’t mind?” And without waiting for an answer, Dream lets his head drop in the junction between Techno’s neck and shoulder, hair tickling his chin.

“Heh, you’re too trusting, I’m going to throw you in a lava pool as soon as you close your eyes.”

Silence greets him, making him smile as he curls one arm around Dream’s body so he won’t be jostled too much during their hellish rollercoaster ride. This man truly is unbelievable, he can even speedrun falling asleep.


	9. Wrong Right Idea (Or Right Wrong Idea?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a test to try my hand at writing other character's POV. I don't particularly like this chapter, but eh. Next is a Dream chapter, don't worry
> 
> Jesse has the right idea, but the timing is wrong xD
> 
> READ THE END NOTES!!

“They are so cute!”

“I can’t believe they fell asleep!”

Jesse giggles, still remarking how cute the two odd travelers are in her mind. She still has some doubts about them, mostly because the level of skill they have shown so far is way past what she knows of the Order of the Stone and she can’t shake the feeling that they have yet to get serious, but they’re almost nothing compared to the quickly building trust.

Technoblade is still a bit thorny, with his almost mean way of speaking and the uninterested look forever plastered on his face no matter what impressive feat he does, but Jesse can see that under all that is someone who genuinely cares. It’s very easy to catch that when he’s with Dream, though, the pinkette softens almost immediately as soon as his eyes fall on the shorter—but still very tall—man. Dream is, in contrast, very open and supportive, always smiling brightly and laughing freely, specially when he’s with Techno. He does have, however, a very peculiar glint in his eyes, something venomous and scary that sends shivers down her spine if she tries to think too much about it.

It’s like Techno never bothers to hide the fact he is very dangerous, while Dream is the master of seeming absolutely harmless.

They complete each other.

Jesse hopes to have a relationship like theirs some day.

The girl approaches their cart cautiously, eyes glued on them. They look so peaceful, no trace of Techno’s permanent intensity and Dream’s constant scheming, she almost doesn’t want to wake them up, but they need to keep moving. The entire world is counting on them. So she gently touches Dream’s shoulder in hopes a gentle shake will be enough to wake him up, but as soon as the tips of her fingers touch him, he immediately opens his eyes, a big hand catching hers in a grip just shy from bruising.

The blonde’s eyes are very green, they almost glow with the supernatural lighting of the Nether, emerald mixed with gold. They’re fixated on her, and Dream’s mouth is in a straight line. He looks like a beast that just got provoked.

Half a second passes before Dream’s eyes go back to their usual shade of awareness, the blonde apologizing for scaring her with a genuine smile as he lets her go. It takes some maneuvering, but he manages to get out of the cart without much trouble, though he does wake up Techno in the process, who gives him a soft glare he answers with a grin. While Dream stretches with a yawn, Techno jumps off the cart as graciously as someone as big and as sleepy as him can.

“Good morning, how the heck did you two fall asleep? It’s, like, a thousand degrees here.” Petra asks, crossing her arms.

“I’m used to the Nether,” Dream replies, walking up the stairs after the others with the pinkette by his side.

“Heat never bothered me anyway.” Techno shrugs, grinning faintly at Dream’s laughter. They look at each other for a moment, looking like a married couple sharing an exciting secret.

They are so cute.

The group make their way up the stairs, and waiting at the end of them is a whole platform made of netherrack, with multiple railways breaching from all sides. One solitary Nether portal sits in the middle of it, whispering gibberish. The floor in front of it is of glass, making it possible to see the gurgling lava under them. Definitely good for one’s anxiety.

Jesse takes a deep breath. In the Nether, it feels even the deepest of breaths can’t fill your lungs with how stale the air feels. The heat nibbles her skin relentlessly, it doesn’t hurt but it sure _could._ No matter how many times she wipes the sweat off her face, soon she’s soaked again, and she doesn’t even want to think about how sticky her clothes feel. The others are much the same, covered in sweat and blushing with the heat, Gabriel looking the worst of them all with his heavy armor.

Technoblade is utterly unfazed, in fact he looks like he has never been more at ease. Dream looks mostly unbothered, but he does roll up the sleeves of his hoodie.

“No matter how many times I come and how long I stay, the Nether is always annoying,” the blonde man says, as if he’s suffering with the heat and not looking just mildly inconvenienced.

“How long can you last with that hoodie?” Techno questions, ignoring the conversation between Olivia, Petra and Gabriel about the portal. Jesse finds the two adults’ conversations more interesting, anyways, so she doesn’t feel bad about doing the same.

“A day and a half if I’m idle, half a day if I’m running, which I usually am.”

“How do you even survive the Manhunts?”

“I’m too stubborn to die to something like _heat,_ Techno.” Dream smiles, walking up to the portal with a smirk. “Besides, if I were to die for something _hot,_ it wouldn’t be the Nether.”

“... that was terrible.”

Dream only laughs at Techno’s remark, gently pushing Axel aside while declaring he’ll be entering the portal first. As Gabriel tries to stop the blonde, Jesse can’t help but stare at the pinkette, admiring the rare smile that is not so rare when his partner is around. Said pinkette catches her gaze, red eyes going back to their heated indifference, one eyebrow arching in inquiry. She smiles at him and he huffs before approaching Dream and Gabriel with large steps.

“I can’t let you go first, it’d be wrong!” Gabriel insists.

“And letting children go sure isn’t,” Techno drawls, standing in Dream’s left, right in front of the whispering portal.

“We’re not kids!” Petra complains.

“Hush, child, adults talking over here.” Techno smirks at Petra over his shoulder before looking back at Gabriel. “Stay put and protect them, if you’re so desperate to play hero. Whatever is waiting on the other side has no chance against either of us, much less both.”

Dream only smiles kindly at Jesse and her friends, remarking that they should be careful and wait for them to return. Then he grabs Techno’s wrist before the pinkette can crush Gabriel’s spirit some more—both Dream and Techno seem to have some contempt towards Gabriel and the Order, but Jesse feels like it’s not her place to ask—and steps on the portal, the pink haired man following after easily.

One day she hopes they feel comfortable enough around the group to hold hands properly. It must suck to restrain yourself from being affectionate with your lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I made an Instagram for DnB, mostly, so we can talk better with each other and because I need some help deciding the future of this fic! It's @inmuchstress, please be courteous and don't spread the content there for the rest of the world to see so I can keep myself and, therefore, my readers save. Thank you!


	10. Let’s just build, like, a dirt shack

What greets Dream as soon as he walks through the portal is water.

And a zombie, but it is so irrelevant his axe takes care of it with one swift attack.

What matters is the sweet sigh of relief that leaves him when he jumps on the water, splashing it around. As used as he is to the Nether, and as fun as running around and jumping lava pools is, Dream can’t deny he’d much rather go  _ anywhere _ else. Specially since after a few hours he really would need to take off the hoodie, and while he isn’t exactly  _ shy… _ Some things are better left covered by green fabric.

“Enjoying yourself?” Techno asks, eyes shining with amusement as he watches the blonde kick some water.

“I am~”

“I’ll go tell the  _ other _ children it’s safe.”

“Sure thing, daddy-o.”

“Say that again and I  _ will _ kill you, Smiles.”

“Hey, you’re the one calling us your kids,  _ Daddy-o.” _

“I hate you,” The pinkette growls, but Dream can tell it’s a playful thing, so he smiles.

Techno quickly informs the others that they can come out, and soon the whole group is together under the starry sky. Dream hums a random tune as he ascends nearby stairs, looking around with a skip on his steps. The moon is high. They are in the middle of nowhere. A gentle breeze ruffles his hair like a caress, bringing back memories of nights much like this one, spent with friends and spent alone, always looking for something. No matter how many times he has done that, the starry sky still takes his breath away every single time, no matter what server. He can hear Petra asking Gabriel what direction the temple is, and Lukas suggesting they camp for the night before going anywhere.

“Lukas is right,” the blonde interrupts the discussion, “It’s the middle of the night and none of us has had much of a break the entire day, not to mention the stress of the sudden Nether trip. Right now we should build shelter, light a fire and rest.”

“You heard the man, grab some dirt and let’s make a dirt shack, we need something quick and simple.” Jesse claps her hands, smiling at her friends, probably to encourage them, and getting a few smiles back.

Their group is big and the shack is ready in no time. It is very simple and the only advantage they have is that mobs usually only attack when they see someone, but for one night it is more than enough. Dream has slept in worse conditions. Technoblade quickly makes a fire right in the middle, using Jesse’s pitiful excuse of a wooden sword as fuel—thank God that thing is gone now—, and soon the room is as cozy as a hut made of dirt can get. Everyone sits around the fire, backs to the walls. The speedrunner and the fighter sit a little away from the rest, near the door, in case something happens. It’s doubtful a zombie from this server will be capable of breaking down a door, but since it has some elements of a hardcore server, better safe than sorry.

They watch in silence as Axel offers his cookies to his friends and Petra, absolutely unconcerned about the others. He does give Dream and Techno an apologetic look that soon turns into a relieved one when Techno takes out of his inventory some apples to give to Dream and Reuben. The pink haired piglin hybrid glares at Dream when the blonde gives his apple to Lukas, but doesn’t make a fuss when handing another apple to the speedrunner, who quickly hands it to Gabriel before asking for another.

“I should have left you standing in that forest.”

“But you didn’t~”

The apple is very sweet.

Dream zones out for the rest of the group’s conversation, the exhaustion of the day finally hitting as he eats the apple. The good side about this server being outdated is that he doesn’t have to worry about seeds and other stuff, since the apple is just a ball of fruit, no seeds whatsoever. He’s so out of it that he barely registers Axel and Lukas fighting. Dream has not slept in three days now, and it’s starting to show in his droopy eyes and sluggish movements. That nap on the Nether did barely anything for him. Tiredly, he lowers his head a little and closes his eyes, Techno can take the first turn.

“Shut up already.” He hears Techno command, and he smiles at the pink haired man’s annoyed tone. “Axel, stop you bitching, your voice is annoying and nobody wants to hear it.”

“Language,” Dream mumbles, not bothering to touch on what Techno is saying. He agrees a little, Axel’s bitching was starting to get bothersome.

“And  _ Lukas,” _ this time Dream can  _ hear _ the glare and lightly hits his friend on the arm as a warning, knowing how mean Techno can get, “you can’t blame him for not liking you when not once you told your goons to shut up.”

“You’re the leader, you should’ve at least tried,” he mutters, barely audible in his exhaustion.

“Listen to Team Mom.”

“Shut up, Daddy-o.”

He hears Technoblade chuckle, and an arm tentatively rests on his shoulders, bringing him to lean against a warm body that is no doubt the piglin hybrid. His long hair is soft against Dream’s temple, and he is so very warm Dream can’t help but melt against him. Usually he’d be hesitant to touch the other like this, at most grabbing his wrist or hand, but after that nap on his lap, it doesn’t feel weird to just let it happen.

“Now go to sleep, all of you.”

“What about you, Techno?”

“I’ll sleep too, you think I’m a rock?”

That is a lie and they both know it. Dream only huffs in amusement, shaking his head with a grin, feeling the arm around him squeeze him a little in camaraderie.

Techno smells of leather and firewood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't follow my Instagram (@inmuchstress), please consider it! Specially now, since I will need your help with the future of this fic!
> 
> The thing is: the next chapters can go one of three ways:
> 
> 1\. Techno and Dream stay alone in the temple while the others go get Magnus and Ellegaard. That's less work for me and more time with the OTP together, which means a faster chapter, but we'll lose the chance of having these two interacting with the others and we won't see the rest of the Order until their officially enter the group.
> 
> 2\. Dream and Techno go after Ellegaard (either alone or with Jesse/Olivia) and when they come back they find out Gabriel went with Petra and Axel to get Magnus. This is a little more work for me, but not as bad since I still won't be writing Magnus' adventure, and we get not only the OTP interacting with each other, but with other characters
> 
> 3\. Dream and Techno each go with a different group, Techno to get Magnus with Gabriel and Axel and Dream to get Ellegaard with Olivia and Jesse. This means MUCH more work for me, which translates to chapters taking longer to come out, BUT it means we'll have two chapters instead of one and the chance of having a different character's POV (if I'm feeling nice) added to having them due interact with the others. Also means less scenes with the OTP, however.


	11. Bad Luck Charm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I need to tell you guys: my phone broke and I can't fix it right now, so I won't be much on Instagram (cuz the backup phone is so old and clunky, the poor thing), so answers and stuff will take longer to happen.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s too early for this drama.”

“Techno, shush.”

Techno sighs, watching as Lukas talks with Jesse outside the shack while the others still sleep. He’s pretty sure the blonde brat wanted to be alone with the brunette brat, but he didn’t count on Techno and Dream being already awake and lounging under the rising sun. Or, well, Dream is lounging and Techno is picking on him for sunbathing with a hoodie. The blonde refuses to take it off, though, and Techno doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable, so he’s glad when Lukas and Jesse leave the shack, even if to have some dramatic conversation.

At least Dream seems to be having fun, laying down on his stomach, swinging his legs like a teenager with a crush. Techno leans back to support himself on his hands, feet dangling from the border of the “roof”.

“What for?” Jesse asks, because her brain cells are clearly still waking up.

“Techno and Dream were right, I shouldn’t have just watched as my friends picked on you guys.” Lukas rubs his arm in embarrassment, looking anywhere but the girl, the coward. “I can’t apologize for them, but I can apologize for myself, and I am truly sorry for being a coward and not telling them to stop.”

“... I can’t forgive you for my friends, but know that you’re good in my book.”

“Really, just like that?”

Sadly, that last quip isn’t low enough to be a whisper, and the two teens immediately turn to look at the “roof” of the shack, spotting the two adults. Dream sighs, hitting the pinkette’s thigh playfully, throwing him an amused glare. Techno only huffs back, grinning with a brow raised, prompting a roll of green eyes from his friend. Jesse asks what they’re doing, Dream answers, but Techno is more interested in throwing Lukas a glare. The blonde teen flinches under his gaze. Good. Tremble in fear of the Blood God.

“Stop scaring the poor boy.” Dream gently tugs his hair to get his attention, which he gets, crimson meeting green.

“Jesse is forgiving him too fast.”

“Jesse is the one to decide that.”

“If it was me—”

“Techie, _pal,_ not everyone is a petty as you.”

“Don’t call me _pal,_ what are you, _old?_ And that’s rich coming from _you,_ Smiles.”

The speedrunner only laughs, jumping down from the roof with his usual grace, making Techno’s less than skilled descent look like a toddler falling off one step. At least he falls on his feet, the humiliation of having _Lukas_ see him fail is not something he would ever recover. Dream chuckles as if reading his thoughts, which he probably does, but doesn’t react to the glare directed at him, instead asking the younger blonde to wake up the others.

Soon, their group is whole and moving again.

Yay.

“Stop showing off, you damn monkey.”

“Language!”

Techno huffs as Dream jumps around, doing tricks to get awed sounds from the teens. They should be awed, Dream is a treat to watch when he’s doing what he is the best at, but the piglin is way too groggy to care. No one should be allowed to have that much energy in the morning. Coffee is not even a thing on this server, what is this? Thankfully, they soon find the place they need to go. The episode is finally ending.

“This is it! The Temple of the Order of the Stone,” Gabriel announces.

“That’s a mouthful,” Petra comments, surprising the piglin hybrid who genuinely forgot she was even there. In his defense, she wasn’t there in his gameplay. And he doesn’t care enough to keep tabs. “You sure this is it?”

“Yes, look!” Gabriel takes out of his inventory the amulet of the Order, showing how it matches the structure of the temple.

Suddenly, a hand finds its way to Techno’s wrist, the gesture almost familiar by now. Techno looks at Dream in worry at the tight grip, seeing the eyes of his friend glued to the amulet, and is about to ask what’s the matter when he remembers the hidden purpose behind the amulet: to attract the Wither Storm to its bearer. That’s how the monster can find Jesse wherever they are, Ivor had programmed the command block to follow it because he knew Gabriel carried it left and right, and because of that, without knowing Gabriel gave a teenager the equivalent of a target.

God, Techno wants to punch Ivor too. Many times.

The grip on his wrist relaxes, telling him Dream calmed down, but not enough to let go. It’s fine, considering the damage that little wheel will do, Dream’s reaction to it is not a surprise. He’s probably considering punching Ivor again. Techno will let him get the first punch when they inevitably meet the slimy old man again.

It’s dim inside the temple, but the pressure plates are still very obvious, obvious enough for Techno to walk inside while ignoring Gabriel's warnings about traps. Dream walks behind him, pointing out the traps and explaining, rudimentarily, how the redstone circuits behind them work, probably stuff picked from his friends. Olivia, Jesse and Lukas seem very interested, while the other musclebrains stare like someone just told them their shoelaces are made of chicken.

They follow the corridor until they get to a library, or the “enchantment room” as the blonde brat calls it. The piglin hybrid gives the speedrunner a pleading look, not wanting to waste time waiting for Jesse to finally be the only useful person and find what they need to find, but Dream only shakes his head, mouthing a “not now”. So Techno has to wait until Jesse gets to the end of the library and read Ivor’s diary about how he was totally part of the Order, how _shocking._ The good part is that Gabriel is with them this time, and Techno gets to watch as Jesse and the others rip the fake hero a new one. Poor guy backs away from the group of teens with a panicked look in his face, probably regretting every decision that led to this moment. Maybe he should’ve thought things through before deciding to be a phony.

“Ivor is part of the Order? And you never told anyone? _Any_ of you?”

“We… we had our reasons, Jesse.”

“Reasons to lie _to the whole world?”_ Petra looks like she’s ready to pull a Dream and punch a member of the Order. Oh, how much Techno misses popcorn.

“Look, I’ll tell you, all of you, the whole story once we get rid of the creature.”

“You’ll tell _everyone,”_ Jesse commands with a glare, “You will tell everyone that you and your friends have been lying to them, got it?”

Gabriel nods quickly in agreement, his survival instincts probably kicking in. After that, Dream conveniently points out the stairs for the top floor, diffusing the tension. They all make their way up, finding more of a crumbling temple and one of the banes of Techno’s existence: the light puzzle. He groans, loud and long, the moment he sees it, and even louder and longer when Gabriel mentions not quite remembering the order of the switches. 

Call him an old man, but he’s going to sit down in this nice rock and have himself some nice time with Reuben, who comes to sit near him for whatever reason. Probably because piglins are not that far away from pigs, so Reuben feels attracted to Techno as if they were related or something. Techno can’t deny, though, the little guy is very cute. He can’t resist the urge to pet his little head, delighted by the happy oinks and huffs he gets in response. So very cute.

He’s snapped out of his happy moment when Dream and Jesse cheer loudly, big smiles on their faces as they celebrate figuring the puzzle out. Techno watches from his rock as the group looks at the moving green and red lights, Gabriel explaining that it’s a tracking system, which, _duh,_ and also, _red flag._ Now that he thinks about it, it’s never explained how the amulet can find the other members of the order. Maybe each of them has one made specifically for them, and the tracker is actually tracking the amulets and not the people.

That opens some questions about _why are they carrying their amulets still_ and _why did Ivor seek revenge against Gabriel and not literally the actual culprit behind their hollow fame_ but the pinkette finds that he can’t bring himself to care about answering those questions. He might want to punch some people. More than once.

“We should split up,” Gabriel suggests, “We know where Magnus and Ellagaard are, it might take too long to get one by one, and we still need to find Soren.”

“I’ll stay here and fortify the temple, we don’t know how long we’ll have to stay and I’d rather not risk getting eaten,” Lukas offers, Petra agreeing to stay with him.

Guess what Technoblade _won’t_ be doing?

“Olivia, Jesse and I will go get Ellegaard. Gabriel, you go get Magnus with Axel and Techno. Also, I’ll be needing that amulet so we can convince Ellegaard.”

Oh, _Hell **no.**_

“Excuse us for a second,” Techno pipes in, approaching the speedrunner with large steps and grabbing his wrist, much how the blonde himself does, to pull him away from the group and back to the rock he had been sitting seconds ago. “Are you out of your mind? Did you hit your head? Are you sick?”

He puts his other hand on Dream’s forehead, noting that he is not feverish. Then he runs his fingers through Dream’s hair—softer than he thought it’d be—, trying to find a bump or a cut. He finds none, but he still tries a second search just in case, being stopped by the blonde grabbing his hands, smiling brightly at him as if he didn’t just put himself in high risk.

“Dream, that thing…” Techno leans down and lowers his voice so none of the others will hear him. “That _monster_ will follow that amulet to the End and back, you know that. You’re putting yourself in danger, in a world that has Hardcore settings. You can _die,_ or get that disease.”

“I’ll be fine, I’m not that easy to kill, y’know? I defeated the Ender Dragon at age 12, remember? Just a tiny human, and I won.” Dream gently guides Techno’s hand down to his cheek and finally lets it rest where his neck meets his shoulder, allowing Techno to feel his rapid heartbeat. “I’ll be careful, but there’s no way Ellagaard will believe us without that amulet.”

“I could go with you instead. The two of us. Maybe Jesse, she’s useful.”

“And let Axel and Gabriel go find Magnus by themselves? Maybe even with Petra and her short fuse? You know they’re going to make a mess.”

“Why do I have to clean it? I’m not their dad.”

“Please? For me? I really don’t like the idea of leaving them to wander outside, Jesse and Petra are the only ones with combat skills, and I don’t really trust Gabriel.”

It’s not like he can deny Dream’s worries, he wouldn’t trust Gabriel with his toenail, much less with a brat or two. And now that they’re living through it, it’s hard to say the plot will save any of them when danger comes; even Jesse who’s the protagonist is at risk of losing her life. Techno doesn’t like any of them, but he cannot in good conscience leave them all to die because of the petty incompetence of a bunch of adults with too much pride and hero-complex. Even Lukas, the most useless to ever useless, doesn’t deserve such fate now that he is more than pixels in his computer.

Technoblade stares long and hard at Dream’s eyes, trying to find something he is not exactly sure of what it is in the deep pools of green, but he doesn’t find it, whatever it is, knowing he’s fighting a losing battle. With a heavy sigh, he lets go of the blonde, stepping back slowly, not really willing to let go of his friend, the only anchor to his life outside the Story Mode server. Dream does the same, his smaller but just as calloused hands slipping out of Techno’s with a feathery touch, before he turns to his group.

“Smiles, if you die, I’m bringing you back and kicking your ass.”

“Language, and same, Daddy-o.”

Techno huffs, answering to Dream’s impish wink with a weak glare. A glare that becomes the real deal when his eyes fall on Gabriel, the Fake Hero, as the man hands the cursed amulet to Dream. The man flinches, looking up briefly at Techno before bolting to the opposite direction of Dream’s team with a cheerful “let’s go” that gets repeated by Axel. Techno rolls his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

He hopes his eyes don’t fall out of his eye sockets with how much he’s about to roll them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, option 3 was chosen! Thanks for voting!


End file.
